How to Care of Small, Wild Creatures
by LadyMy7
Summary: Lord Gendry Baratheon uses a 'how-to' book to help him gain Arya's affections. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as planned… Oh, Gendry, you silly Bull.
1. Chapter 1

Title: How to Care for Small, Wild Creatures

Summary: Gendry uses a 'how-to' book to help him gain Arya's affections. Unfortunately, things doesn't go exactly as planned…

'_italics'_ – Gendry's thoughts

A/N: This is meant to be a more light-hearted humor fic, giving me the chance to play around with Gendry's character.

* * *

It didn't make sense to him.

_This is making my head hurt._

Okay, so maybe when it came to matters of the heart, Gendry wasn't an expert. No, he has never been in love, and no, he has never been in any traditional relationships. But he liked to think that he – as well as the majority of the male race – wasn't _completely_ clueless when it came to the opposite sex.

That's right, he knew a thing or two about women.

Gendry Baratheon was _not_ stupid (_despite what a certain Stark wolf like to call me_). He knew the basics of things. He knew the gist of how these things were supposed to work and knew the rudimentary essentials of courting someone. _I am not stupid_.

The new lord of Storm's End may be stubborn… but not stupid. Or so he kept telling himself.

And yet, there he was, sitting at his desk in his solar, a flurry of scrolls and books scattered everywhere (_so much for my reading lessons_), pondering over his love life (_or therefore lack of_).

In his mind, he did everything that was needed in order to foster a strong relationship:

Step One: Build a foundation of trust and equal level of respect (_'We traveled and lived together while being held captive in a band of murderers, rapists and criminals'_).

Step Two: Court the female ('_I built her the weapon that she wished for, didn't I_?').

Step Three: Confess your affection to said female (_'Did that, and stupidly confessed my lack of fork-using skills apparently'_).

Step Four: Propose to said female ('_Yes, did that'_).

Step Five: Live happily ever after and make babies (_-insert roadblock here-._).

Of course, somewhere in between steps four and five, he assumed having an intimate relationship comes into play, so that was another point for him ('_even if I did jump a step or two head of things – but hey, we were at war with undead wrights! And __**she**__ bedded __**me**__!'_).

So where did he go wrong?

Was it calling her beautiful? Because she was, even despite all of the bruises and scars that was marring her face post-battle. She was always beautiful to him, even dressed in men's clothes and face muddied.

Was it asking her to be his lady? Because she should had known that he, for one, didn't have the first clue on what a true highborn lady entitles. She was never one to take titles seriously.

'_Why didn't I just ask her to be my scavenger hunt buddy?'_ The black-hair lord thought bitterly. His face contorted frustrated and reached up to rub his temples with his fingers. "Bloody hells."

"Reading lessons not faring well, my lord?" a new voice erupted into the room, and in walked Davos, who was head of his council. He came baring a few pieces of bread and a pitcher of wine, which the stubborn bull took gratefully. He took a seat across from Gendry, peering over the mess of papers that littered the table. Gendry poured himself a full glass of wine before downing the entire glass in one go.

"If I knew being a lord would had been so … frustrating, I would had stayed a bastard."

Davos smiled sympathetically, fingers browsing through the random scrolls on the desk, "Every good lord need to know how to read, my lord. You will learn in time."

"Can you read?" Gendry scoffed.

A quirked eyebrow, "Better than you."

At his sarcastic tone, Gendry frowned, going back to rubbing his temples, trying to wane off the impending headache he felt arising.

The two sat in silence; Gendry, pretending to look like he was being productive, although he would much rather be in the forge right now while Davos looked on patiently at his young lord. He frowned when he was Gendry was currently glaring at a particular thick book.

"Don't you think that that text is a bit too… advanced for you to tackle right now, my lord?" Davos jested.

"Well, I don't know, what's so advanced about it?" Gendry frowned, slightly embarrassed for having his weaknesses challenged.

"I'm just suggesting that maybe 'Medicinal Cures of Progressive, Chronic Infections in Valyrian' might not be the best material to be practicing off of for someone at your stage."

If he could bang his head against the table, he would.

Davos shot him a compassionate look and chuckled lightly, rising up and reaching over to start clearing the papers and books. "You will get there in time, my lord. If this old smuggler could learn how to read in his old age, then obviously you can."

Standing up with him, Gendry let out a deep sigh.

"I'll be in the forge if you need me."

"Of course, my lord."

* * *

To burn off steam, some men liked to hunt. Some men liked to drink. Some men liked to whore around. But for Gendry, being in the forge surpassed all of those aforementioned pastimes.

It was there that, hours later, Davos found him, still hammering away at a piece of steel with his hammer.

_I wonder what she's doing now?_

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

"Thought you might still be here," Davos entered silently, parcel in hand, careful not to distract the blacksmith from his work.

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Yes, probably off somewhere shooting arrows into the wall._

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling._

"Feeling better?"

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_I wonder if she ever thinks of me?_

_Cling. _

"Going to ignore me?"

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Yea, I didn't think so either. _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling._

"The Night King is approaching."

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Maybe I should build a time machine and go back in time to re-do that moment?_

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

_But … how? _

_Cling. _

_Cling. _

'Stubborn bull,' Davos thought humorously, as he watched the Baratheon boy hammer away quietly.

"I'll leave you to it then," Davos announced before walking over to a nearby bench. "Just wanted to drop this off to you." He placed his parcel down – a book – and turned his attention back to the smith. "Think that you will have an easier time reading this one, you will. Easier words…in common language." He didn't miss the annoyed look from the smith as bowed respectfully before taking his leave. "My lord."

The sun had long set before Gendry finally decided to call it a night and clean the forge up before heading back to his bedchambers. Before leaving, he passed by his work bench, curiously looking down at the book he vaguely remembers Davos dropping by earlier. Picking up the book with soot covered hands, he glanced at the title peculiarly.

"Ha – how to," he brows scrunched up in concentration, trying to remember his lessons, "c-care fo' sm…all (_small_!) small, wah – wah-ildle …creatures…"

A small wash of accomplishment washed over him. _Interesting choice of reading, Ser Davos_, he thought absentmindedly, but was too weary to think any further. Tired from his long night, he quickly finished packing up before making way back to the castle, book in tow.

_What harm could trying to read this one do?_

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Title: How to Care for Small, Wild Creatures

Summary: Gendry uses a 'how-to' book to help him gain Arya's affections. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as planned…

'_italics'_ – Gendry's thoughts

A/N: Thank you everyone for all the kind support, reviews and follows Game of Thrones is quickly about to come to an end, but no matter what, Gendrya will always be my ship. Gendry, you stupid bull, you better go and follow her around the world!

* * *

Books that included pictures, Gendry determined, are the best kinds.

_Who needs words when you can have pictures?_ Gendry thought perceptibly, as he sat back into his pillows, flipping to the next page of his book. He had painstakingly gotten through the first few pages of the book within the last couple of nights, dedicating some time before bed to practice his reading skills until the last of his candle would burn out (no thanks to Davos's gab of 'you really think _anyone_ would want to marry an uneducated, stubborn lord?'). The first few pages were simple yet challenging enough; he soon learned that the book that Davo had given him was rudimentary level material (_probably meant for lower-educated help_), and now that the chapters were beginning, the text graciously included pictures.

Gendry turned the page, only to have his eyes directly transfix on an image of a little squirrel that done the page. The squirrel was small thing but had a big, bushy tail; its two cheeks were puffed out with presumably food and it was holding an acorn.

_Arya once wore an acorn-covered dress_, he thought fondly, reminiscing of that time where she all but tackled him to the ground for complimenting on her looking like a 'cute acorn tree.' _Arya is quite small and cute as well… just like you, little squirrel. _

The squirrel in the picture was also adorn with big, round eyes, and Gendry wouldn't help but chuckle to himself. An image of big, round steel-grey eyes invaded him mind and he looked on fondly at the book. "Should I call you Arya, the squirrel?" Silence. "Yes, you're right, that would be an insult to all squirrels everywhere, huh?" More silence. "Funny, human Arya wasn't much of a talker either."

There was a sudden knock at his door, and Gendry lowered his book. "Enter."

His bedroom door opened with a low creek, and in walked Davos, bowing slightly upon entrance. "You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, my lord."

His left eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance. "What brings you so late?"

"My apologies, my lord, but a raven just came in with some news I thought you would want to hear right away." Gendry gave him a curious look. "You've been invited," Davos announced suspiciously slowly, walking over and handing a small raven scroll over to him, "to be present to witness the union of…(_dramatic pause_, _much Davos_?) **Lady Stark** (_what_?!) to her newly betrothed. It will in a fortnight after the next moon, in Winterfell."

That caught his attention and Gendry bolt strait up, grabbing the piece of paper from the man. His eyes quickly roamed the words, many he did not know yet and the ones he did were jumping right off the paper at him.

'_Stark.'_

'_Wedding.' _

'_Winterfell.' _

His mind started to race.

The last time he was at Winterfell, he was a bastard - a blacksmith bastard who didn't even know his own last name (_quite literally; 'You are a RIVERS, not a WATERS – STUPID'_) for the Battle of the Undead. After the battle, he was naturalized as Lord Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End by orders of the Dragon Queen, in which he had gone off to drunkenly and hastily kneeled down before Arya to ask for her hand in marriage.

Yes, the last time he was at Winterfell, his heart was broken, and it was there those pieces still lied. Never before had he knew the meaning of 'a broken heart.' Until that very moment. _I can practically hear the sounds of the string music strumming in the back of my mind right now, spreading out my gloom and misery, _Gendry thought bitterly.

The room fell silent and his face screwed up in apprehension, trying to mind his foggy mind back to the task at hand. _No way this can be referring to Arya_, he thought hastily, almost in panicky. His eyes were transfixed on the first few lines of the scroll, trying to sound out the long strings to letters and vowels in his head for any indication of her name.

"…Lady S-sansa Stark? The wedding of Lady _Sansa_ Stark?" He tried to keep his voice even but was failing miserably and Davos resisted from rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Lady Sansa Stark, my lord."

At that, the young lord let out a deep breath that he didn't even realized he was holding.

"Funny how helpful things would be if you could read properly, eh?"

_It was Sansa. Not Arya. _

_Thank the Gods, it wasn't Arya. _Gendry broke out into a smile wasn't sure if he could even face her again, he knew that he wouldn't be able to just sit back and watch her be claimed away by some stupid high-born lord.

_I would kill the bastard myself first._

Davos knew that look on the young Baratheon's face. It was his Thinking-of-Arya look and knew that all sense of the outside world was very forgotten.

"Ignoring me once again, my lord?"

Of course, he was.

_If she's going to be marrying any stupid high-born lord, it's going to be me, _Gendry thought determinedly. Arya wasn't the only one that was notoriously stubborn. _I'll show to her how relentlessly stubborn I can be. _

This would mean that he would have to make the trip to Winterfell soon. Last time he checked (_okay, fine, maybe more like stalked and harassed Sansa for answers_), Arya wasn't in Winterfell after the Great War. Only Bran knew where she was, but kept that information hidden in respect for the savior of the realm. But surely, Arya would be present at her own sister's nuptials, wouldn't she?

He looked up at Davos and coughed, nervously.

"…You'll be coming with me, right?"

"What are you, two-and-ten?" Gendry shot him a dirty look, but Davos ignored it, turning to leave. "Man up."

* * *

Next chapter will be of the big reunion. Please review :)


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